Where do children and youth go during your Sunday morning service?

Growing up in an English-speaking parish, the norm has typically been that our children and young people begin the worship service with the adults, and then later on, they leave and go to Sunday school (or whatever variation of the name) whilst the rest of the service continues. On the plus side, children can have dedicated time to learn about faith and God in their environment. On the negative side, there are silos created in the makeup of a congregation where children aren’t fully part of a worship experience for a parish – or at least aren’t deemed “mature” enough to understand what’s going on.

In our cultural synods things, for the most part, operate a bit differently! Sunday school is typically done at a time separate from the main worship service (normally before). During the service, children and parents are together. The plus side of this is that families are worshipping together. The negative side is that more often than not, these services are heavily catering to adults. Although children are present in the church, nothing is targeted at their level of understanding or designed to capture their attention.

These are two specific versions of how churches across the Haahi engage with young people in worship services. Which one is the most effective way to conduct ministry to our youngest members?

I cannot say, nor would I ever try and push a children and youth ministry to choose one way or the other. I would like to pose some questions and thoughts for leaders to ponder at the start of another year.

1. Does your church have an intergenerational focus?

Often churches create silos within themselves. Young people are left to do their own thing outside of the service while the sermon is preached to the adults. In churches where young people stay, they are still siloed within that environment if the content of the service has no intent to include them. Churches must be willing to explore what intergenerational worship might look like. They must find ways to consider and value both the theologies and expressions of faith that are present in the youngest and oldest members of the church.

Sometimes this is as simple as ensuring the main church worship space feels welcoming and inclusive.

Some churches have regular “family services”, Messy Church, or café-style services that aim to bridge intergenerational gaps in worship. Others ensure that there is a parallel between lessons shared in the kids’ spaces and those coming from the pulpit. I hope that one day we would be able to not just tokenise intergenerational worship but be shaped by it.

2. What do your youngest members get out of worship service/Sunday gathering?

This is a call for churches to be self-reflective and willing to hear the voices of their people. Is the main part of your Sunday school the crackers and juice that accompany a forgettable and uninspiring activity? Is your ministry too knowledge-based and thereby creating more pressure on top of the already pressing demands students face at school during the week?

Regularly ask for feedback! It’s important for parishes to constantly be listening for what is working and what isn’t. This is ongoing, and the demands will change in different contexts. The key is to not keep doing something purely for the sake of doing it.

3. When it comes to your children and youth, are they participants in worship or observers?

Many young people are at church out of a sense of obligation. “Mum, dad, nana and poppa go to church, so I have to go as well”. How many would still attend with an open-ended invitation where they could make their own choice?

The chances are if our churches are places of belonging for all, intergenerationally minded and children and youth are regularly invited to participate fully in worship and the life of the church, they will want to come and stay.

This is deeper than occasionally suggesting a Sunday school action song, or getting young people on the door roster or sound/AV team. It’s about inviting them into authentic participation. Ask children to compose a liturgy and use it in worship. Give them opportunities to be creative and inspire older members of the church. Allow them to be mentored and journeyed alongside some of the oldest and wisest members of your community of faith.